Artichokes - How to Choose, Prepare and Serve

Follow These Tips and Enjoy Artichokes in All Their Glory

© Lise Charlebois-Ludot

Mar 18, 2009

Artichokes are intimidating things and so all too often we pass them by at the market or in the produce aisle, picking vegetables that require less fuss and muss to prepare. Armed with a few tricks, however, you can serve heavenly artichoke hearts that you had the satisfaction of preparing yourself and save the canned variety for when you're really pinched for time.

Choosing

• Artichokes should be freshly harvested. To make sure, check the stalk; if the bottom looks dry or brown, move on.They should also be eaten straight away, so buy them the day that you're planning on serving them.
• Size matters. Choose the small "baby" variety available form the end of April if you'll be eating them raw with a pinch of salt and a bit of butter, slightly larger if you're planning on boiling them and serving them with a simple vinaigrette. If, on the other hand, you'll be stuffing them, choose the larger variety available later in the season.
• The artichoke should feel heavy in your hand and be of an even color, with no dark spots. It should have tightly closed, brittle leaves.

Trimming

• First, remove the stalk. It's best not to cut it off but rather break it. To do this, place the artichoke on the counter or table with the stalk hanging over the edge. Hold the head firmly with one hand and with the over, press down on the stalk until it snaps off.
• Take a stainless steel knife and begin peeling back the bottom leaves, a bit the way you would peel back the peel of a banana, to remove the base completely. Continue removing the bottom leaves until you've worked your way up about an inch and half (3cm) above the base. Next, cut off the top third of the artichoke.
• Pull out the central leaves until you see the choke. What's the choke, exactly? It's a compact, fuzzy nucleus that needs to be removed delicately. Take a spoon, loosen the choke and remove it completely. While removing the choke before cooking is a bit more fiddly, it's worth it as the artichoke hearts will keep their soft white color better.
• Remember to occasionally rub the cut surfaces of the artichoke with a halved lemon throughout the trimming process to guard against discoloration. As soon as you have the choke scooped out, squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice over the heart. Place the trimmed hearts in a bowl of cold water along with the juice of a lemon.

Cooking

• Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot.
• Add a tablespoon (15ml) of salt for every 4 cups (1L) of water along with the juice of a lemon (you can also throw in the squeezed lemons in the pot).
• Add 5 tbsp (75ml) of olive oil.
• Gently drop the artichoke hearts into the water, lower the heat slightly, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Don't add too many hearts to the pot at once or else their cooking will not be uniform; they should be evenly distributed on the surface of the water.
• Remove with a slotted spoon. Once cooked, artichoke hearts can be stored in their cooking juices in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Serving

• You can serve artichoke hearts simply cooked as described above, known as A l'Anglaise, cut in half or in four, with some peppery greens and a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, and some dijon mustard.
• Large artichoke hearts can be stuffed and baked with a variety of stuffings. Mushrooms diced and fried with some minced garlic and pancetta makes a particularly tasty artichoke heart stuffing.
• Sauté the cooked hearts in butter and serve alongside a main of grilled fish or roasted chicken. Sautéed hearts also make a delicious pizza topping.

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